Lubricating means for spinning rings



Dec. 3, 1963 H. B. ATWOOD LUBRICATING MEANS FOR SPINNING RINGS Filed July 27, 1960 IN V EN TOR.

. ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,112,603 LUBRICATING MEANS FOR SPINNING RINGS Hyatt B. Atwood, Buffalo, N.Y., assignor to Herr Manufacturing Company, Inc, Buffalo, N .Y. Filed July 27, 1960, Ser. No. 45,739 1 Claim. (Cl. 57-429) This invention relates to the art of spinning and twisting yarns and more particularly to the lubrication of the bearing surfaces of the rings used in spinning and twisting machines.

The lubrication of the bearing surfaces of spinning rings has heretofore generally been accomplished by means of wicks which extend through passages in the ring from a lubricant cup or reservoir and terminate at the bearing surfaces to supply lubricant to the same and to said rings. It is consequently necessary for some person to supply lubricant to these cups or reservoirs from time to time to make certain that a continual supply of lubricant to the rings through the wicks is ensured. It happens, however, at intervals that persons charged with the supplying of the lubricant to the reservoirs fail to do so, whereupon damage to the rings and/ or travellers results.

There have been developed lubricant dispensing mechanism which operate automatically to supply predetermined quantities of lubricant to various types of bearing surfaces at regular intervals, and it is consequently one of the objects of this invention to construct the spinning rings in such a manner as to cooperate with lubricant dispensing mechanisms of this type.

It is also an object of this invention to provide rings of this type of improved construction whereby a reservoir for lubricant is formed in the ring from which reservoir lubricant may be supplied to the bearing surface of the ring during the intervals of time during which the lubricant dispensing mechanism is not feeding lubricant to the ring.

A further object of this invention is to provide a spinning ring of this type constructed to supply lubricant to various circumferential parts of the ring.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a spinning ring embodying this invention and showing a portion of the support therefor in the form of a rail on which the spinning ring is mounted.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, transverse, sectional elevation thereof on an enlarged scale, the section being taken on line 2-2, FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a similar section showing my invention applied to a ring of different ty FIG. 4 is a fragmentary face view of the inner surface of a ring of slightly modified construction.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 I have shown a spinning ring mounted in a solid rail or support member 16 of a spinning machine, this rail being vertically reciprocable for Winding the thread on a take-up spool, not shown. The ring shown is of the well known vertical type and cooperates with a traveller 17 which travels in a circular path in contact with the inner surface of the ring. The ring shown by way of illustration of my invention has an upper, curved edge 20 over which a part of the traveller extends, and a fiat, upright bearing surface 21 against which the traveller bears during its travel. The ring also has a lower, curved surface 22 under which the lower portion of the traveller extends to hold it in engagement with the substantially flat, upright surface 21.

The ring is provided along the flat, upright surface 21 with a plurality of holes or openings 23 arranged at intervals along the inner surface of the ring, and these holes or openings form the ends of ducts which terminate at their inner ends in a reservoir 24 which is formed within the ring. This reservoir is preferably of annular form extending completely around the bearing surface of the ring and is preferably formed by means of a groove on the outer surface of the ring. Heretofore, when lubricant was supplied to the ring under pressure, it was customary to supply only a single opening terminating in the bearing surface of the ring, and the traveller was depended upon to spread the lubricant from this opening to the entire inner bearing surface 2 1. It has been found, however, that the spreading of lubricant in this manner was not suflficiently reliable, so that portions of the ring would at times be insufficiently lubricated, which resulted in chattering of the traveller and rapid wear of the traveller and ring. By providing these lubricating openings at intervals along the bearing surface of the ring and also providing the ring with a groove or reservoir 24 which extends completely around the ring, an ample supply of lubricant to all portions of the bearing surface of the ring is provided.

The ring is suspended from the rail or support 16 by means of an outwardly extending flange or shoulder 25 which rests on the upper surface of the support.

In order to seal in the groove to form the reservoir 24, I provide a closing ring 26 which extends about the outer surface of the spinning ring 15 below the shoulder 25. This reservoir closing ring 26 may be secured on the ring 15 in any desired manner to form a fluid-tight joint with the spinning ring about the reservoir. For example, it may be formed toprovide a press fit with the main ring 15 so as to form a closure or outer seal for the reservoir 24, or it may be shrunk on the spinning ring. This closure ring, in addition to 'hawing a tight fit with the spinning ring 15, may also be welded or otherwise secured thereto. Any suitable means for forming a lubricant-tight joint with the main ring may be provided. This closure ring is provided with an aperture 27 communicating with the reservoir 24.

The rail or support 16 is provided with a passage 28 the inner end of which is in registration with the aperture 27 in the closure ring. The outer end of this aperture 28 may be connected by means of any suitable coupling 36 with a supply pipe or duct 31 through which lubricant is supplied through the passage 28 and aperture 27 to the reservoir 24. Such lubricant supply means are readily available and well known and it is therefore deemed unnecessary to show such means.

By means of the construction disclosed, when a shot or charge of lubricant is forced by the lubricant supply means into the reservoir 24, it will immediately flow around the reservoir to all parts thereof and some of the lubricant will immediately find its way through the openings 23 to the bearing surface of the ring. When the supply of lubricant in the reservoir 24 falls below the level of the openings 23 so that further flow of lubricant through the openings 23 by gravity will be interrupted, additional lubricant will continue to pass through the openings 23 by capillary action, so that an ample supply of lubricant to all parts of the bearing surface of the ring is assured.

In FIG. 3 I have shown a ring 35 of the type having an upper and inwardly extending, frusto conical bearing surface 36 and an upwardly and inwardly inclined, frusto conical bearing surface 38, these surfaces being joined by an annular recess portion 37 of the ring. These bearing surfaces cooperate with a traveller having a portion which bears against the upright bearing surface 36. This ring is also provided at intervals or around the circumference of the same with lubricant supply holes or openings 41 in the ring which terminate at the upper surface 36 and other horizontally extending lubrica g conducting passages terminating in holes or openings 43 through which lubricant passes to the upright bearing surface 3 8 of the ring.

placed by 0 Both of the passages which lead to the holes 41 and 43 terminate at their inner ends in a reservoir 44 formed tight iiit with the outer surface of the ring below a shoulder or flange 40 which is formed to rest on a support member 16. The closure ring 45 may, in addition to its tight connection with the spinning ring, be welded or otherwise secured thereto. This closure ring has an aperture 46 connecting with the lubricant passage 28 formed in the support member 16, as described in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2. 7

in FIG. 4 I have shown a slightly modified form of ring in which the holes or passages 23, 41 and 43 may be remeans of elongated holes oropenings in the form of narrow slots 50' extending from the reservoir 24 or 44 to the bearing surface of the ring.

The closure rings are of course of 'such outside diameter as to fit closely in the openings formed in the support 16 but are formed to fit more tightly about the spinning rings so as to retain lubricant in the reservoirs in these rings and to remain permanently attached to the spinning rings.

The term spinning ring is herein used to designate both spinning and twisting rings. -It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials andarran-gements of parts which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claim.

I claim:

A spinning ring for cooperation with a traveller and having an inner bearing surface on which the traveller moves, said spinning ring being removably seated on a support member and having a lubricant reservoir formed therein independently of said support member and extending circumferentially of said ring, said spinning ring being provided with an annular groove in the outer wall thereof and forming three walls of said reservoir, an annular continuous and unbroken closure ring of approximately rectangular cross section extending about of said spinning ring and having a smooth interior face in oil-tight relation to said spinning ring and forming the outer wall of said groove to form with said groove said reservoir for lubricant, said spinning ringbeing provided with a plurality of holes arranged at intervals along said bearing surface and connecting said reservoir with said bearing surface for supplying lubricant fnom said reservoir torsaid bearing surface, said closure ring having an aperture connecting with said reservoir, and means for intermittently supplying lubricant to said reservoir through said aperture, said closure ring being a part of said spinning ring and being removable from said support member with said spinning ring.

References (Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,466,005 Towers Aug. 28, 1923 2,268,506 Fillinger Dec. 30, 1941 2,461,546 Herr Feb. 15, 1949 2,964,899 Wayson et al. Dec. 20, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 342,750 Great Britain Feb. 9, 193-1 458,682 Great Britain Dec. 21, 1936 

